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Derrick Yancey became the 39th member or associate of the 10th Street Gang to be convicted Wednesday.

Yancey, 27, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to taking part in racketeering conspiracy.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Tripi said Yancey admitted driving fellow 10th Street Gang members on Sept. 15, 2008 to shoot rival 7th Street Gang members standing outside on Busti Avenue. He said Yancey was behind the wheel when his fellow gang members shot and killed Omar Fraticello-Lugo and injured two others.

Yancey’s plea is the result of an investigation by the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Buffalo Police and New York State Police.

Binghamton, NY (WBNG Binghamton) A training session was held Tuesday to aid social workers in identifying gang-related material.

This session was deemed necessary by officials, who told Action News they believe gang presence is high in Broome County

Keeping kids safe was a topic of discussion during the training.

"What the social workers might look out for, and the advice they can give parents, as far as if they think their kid is becoming involved in a gang," said Captain of Broome County Correctional Facility Kevin Moore.

Another topic was how to keep workers safe, through preparation and identification.

A 13-year-old girl whom police called a “known gang associate” was shot and wounded in Brooklyn late Tuesday, police said.

The girl was with a group of people on St. Mark's Ave. near Saratoga Ave. in Brownsville when an opposing crew approached them about 11:45 p.m., police said. After a brief dispute, an unknown gunman opened fire, hitting the girl in the forearm, police said.

She was rushed to Kings County Hospital in stable condition.

Police were investigating the shooting and combing over two bikes left at the crime, scene but made no immediate arrests.

By Freeman staff
POSTED: 06/19/14
KINGSTON >> Death threats, witness accounts and surveillance video amount to sufficient evidence to support the conviction of a conspirator in the gangland killing of Charles “C.J.” King Jr. in 2010, a state appeals court ruled Thursday, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.

Jermaine “Maino” Nicholas, 26, who was convicted of felony conspiracy on Oct. 11, 2011, after a jury trial, appealed the conviction, claiming “hearsay statements of his co-conspirators, which included numerous jail calls, should not have been admitted into evidence at the trial because the prosecution could not sustain a conspiracy case without those hearsay statements,” DA Holley Carnright said.

Nicholas was one of seven people tied to the 2010 shooting death of King in Midtown Kingston.

In its decision, the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court, Third Department, unanimously affirmed the conviction, refuting Nicholas’ claims regarding hearsay statements and his contention that “police lacked probable cause to arrest him without a warrant in his home,” Carnright said.

The decision noted that prior to Nicholas’ arrest, Amanda “Blazer Bitch” Miller had given statements to police indicating Nicholas called her phone to alert the gang members to King’s whereabouts and that a tenant in Nicholas’ apartment consented to the police entry to find Nicholas the morning after the killing.

King, 21, was gunned down in February 2010 on Cedar Street in Kingston in an execution-style hit that authorities said was planned from inside the Ulster County Jail by Jarrin “Phat Boy” Rankin because King was a prosecution witness in a case against Rankin.

Rankin, a member of the Sex, Money, Murder gang, a subset of the Bloods, had been charged with shooting Crips gang member Curtis “Black” Williams in the face in November 2009 on Henry Street in Midtown Kingston undefined a shooting that King witnessed.

In the weeks following Rankin’s arrest, Rondy “Ski” Russ attempted to locate King, who had testified in grand jury proceedings against Rankin and was expected to testify against him at trial. In mid-January 2010, Russ threatened King’s father, compelling him to disclose C.J. King’s whereabouts, authorities have said.

Russ subsequently was jailed for a probation violation, and authorities said Trevor “Little T” Mattis, Rankin’s half-brother, took over the gang’s efforts to track down King.

On Feb. 9, 2010, Mattis fatally shot King in the back of the head after Nicholas summoned Mattis and Gary “G-Money” Griffin to a deli on Cedar Street where King was seen.

Mattis and Griffin both were convicted of first-degree murder and are in prison for life, with no chance for parole.

Nicholas is serving a 25-year prison sentence as a result of his convictions in this case and will be eligible for parole in 2031.

Several reputed Bloods gang members accused of drug trafficking in Binghamton have been indicted on similar charges in the Bronx.

After a two-year joint investigation prompted by shooting incidents, Bronx County prosecutors on April 9 charged 63 gang members and associates known as “MacBallas” in a 109-count indictment. Among them: John Melville, Chad Edwards, Juan Pena and Brian West, who had been arrested March 26 and charged by federal prosecutors in Binghamton with drug trafficking.

The Bronx County indictment charges multiple counts of conspiracy to traffic in illegal narcotics, such as heroin, crack cocaine, powdered cocaine, and the prescription drugs Oxycodone and Percocet, prosecutors said. Gang members were involved in drug sales in the Bronx, Chelsea, East Harlem, Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Binghamton, prosecutors said.

Bronx County prosecutors declined to comment on specific alleged criminal activity for defendants in their case. The criminal conspiracy dates to 2009.

“Our indictment is separate, but it is related to the case by the U.S. Attorney,” said Melvin Hernandez, a spokesman for the Bronx County district attorney, in a statement. “Our investigation is continuing, and additional arrests are expected.”

Edwards, 31, of Binghamton, was the suspected leader of the gang’s Binghamton group, and Melville, 29, of the Bronx, was a high-ranking gang member based in the Bronx who delivered the Binghamton group “high volume” quantities of drugs, court papers said.

Pena, 30, of Binghamton, was a close friend and associate of Edwards and ranked second-in-command of the Binghamton group, and handled money-related issues, court papers said. His Binghamton residence was also a suspected storehouse for drugs.

In addition to drug trafficking, the 63 accused gang members charged in the Bronx are charged with conspiring to commit two murders, four attempted murders, a kidnapping, several assaults, home invasion robberies and burglaries, as well as criminal possession of firearms on numerous occasions, prosecutors said. Those incidents allegedly took place in the Bronx and New York City area.

According to authorities, the Bloods gang started on the streets of Los Angeles during the 1970s and have since spread to include separate sets around the country.

In Binghamton, the gang’s activities came under the notice of law enforcement in March 2012. Federal prosecutors said the Binghamton gang used firearms including handguns to commit assaults, shootings and to threaten others as part of the drug trafficking conspiracy.

While police documented multiple drug transactions involving the Binghamton-area defendants during the investigation, federal prosecutors charge drug possession in generalized amounts: at least 280 grams of crack cocaine, 5 or more grams of cocaine, 100 grams of heroin, and 100 kilograms of marijuana.

The Binghamton investigation ended March 26, with 14 arrests and arraignments in federal court.

In April, Binghamton city officials also shuttered 17 East, a nightclub on Clinton Street that investigators said was a center for the gang’s criminal activities.

The Bronx County charges are punishable by up to 25 years in state prison.

If convicted of the federal charges, the defendants could be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years and a maximum term of life behind bars.

NEW YORK (AP) undefined There are more than 300 of them in New York undefined violent crews of dozens of 12- to 20-year-olds with names such as Very Crispy Gangsters, True Money Gang and Cash Bama Bullies.

Police say these groups, clustered around a particular block or housing project, are responsible for about 40 percent of the city's shootings, with most of that violence stemming from the smallest of disses on the street, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

NEW YORK (AP) undefined There are more than 300 of them in New York undefined violent crews of dozens of 12- to 20-year-olds with names such as Very Crispy Gangsters, True Money Gang and Cash Bama B

Police say these groups, clustered around a particular block or housing project, are responsible for about 40 percent of the city's shootings, with most of that violence stemming from the smallest of disses on the street, Facebook, Twitt"It's like belonging to an evil fraternity," said Inspector Kevin Catalina, commander of the New York Police Department's gang division. "A lot of it is driven by nothing: a dispute over a girl or a wrong look or a perceived slight."

The trend of smaller, younger crews has also been seen in Chicago and Northeast cities over the past few years as police have cracked down on bigger, more traditional gangs, experts said. While the Bloods, Crips and Latin Kings still exist, operating such money-making schemes as drug-dealing, their members are usually older and understand the timeworn mantra of organized crime: Violence is bad for business.

Not so for the crews, whose recklessness prompted former Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly in 2012 to launch an initiative to confront the crews dubbed Operation Crew Cut.

Investigators now focus on gathering intelligence about specific crews undefined understanding their activities, allegiances and feuds, which they glean through traditional street policing and trolling social media sites, cellphone photos and recorded jailhouse calls.

Police have also stepped up arrests of the most active crew members. In Manhattan, prosecutors set up an internal email alert system that notifies them when crew members are arrested, even on minor charges, and provides beyond-the-rap-sheet details for bail arguments. The prosecutor might mention that the person was a suspect in another crime or had made threats on Facebook, for instance.

In a recent case in Harlem, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. says a 2009 killing kindled years of vendetta attacks, including three killings and 30 shootings. Sixty-three people were rounded up, and at least 62 entered guilty pleas, including crew members so young that one told another to "mob up" after school.

Crew-related violence persists despite record dips in overall crime in New York City over the past few years. The most notable recent case came in March when investigators say a 14-year-old member of the Stack Money Goons shot a .357 revolver at a rival member of the Twan Family on a crowded bus in Brooklyn. The bullet instead killed an immigrant father who was working two jobs to support his family.

"When you ask young adults, 'Why? Why did you shoot that young man?' probably 80 percent of the time the answer is: He disrespected me," said Kai Smith, an ex-con-turned-businessman who runs a gang diversion program in city high schools.

Smith works with students who have been arrested at least once, forcing them to define what disrespect means through exercises and role-playing.

Jamal Williams, 18, a high school junior, says he has been affiliated with crews and gangs since he was 9, though he's trying to turn his life around. "A crew to me is a family," he said. "They are going to be there for me like my parents was never there for me."

As more crew members are locked up, investigators are noticing a trend of crew members shifting affiliations behind bars, emerging as a sort of hybrid gang-crew combination with diffused connections and alliances.

Three men and a teenaged boy were arrested on gang assault and other charges shortly after a man who was mugged at Welker Street and Woodlawn Avenue told police they were among the seven or eight males who attacked and tried to rob him at about 9:15 p.m. Monday.

Arrested by Fillmore-Ferry District police offices at East Ferry Street and Roehrer Avenue a short time later were Michael Midgett Jr., 20, of Woodlawn Avenue; Holiday Johnson, 18, of Brunswick Boulevard; James Black, 18, of Butler Avenue, and a 15-year-old boy.

The victim reportedly suffered from a bloody lip, and severe swelling, bruising and pain around his right eye.

Police reported recovering a handgun allegedly used in the incident. The victim told officers that the handgun was shoved in his face before he was repeatedly punched and kicked to the ground and his attackers went through his pockets looking for money.

It's been a little more than a year since Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance held a news conference to announce a multi-gang takedown in East Harlem. All but a couple of 63 people busted have been sentenced to multiple years behind bars and now the DA touts a drop in crime. Michael Herzenberg filed the following report.What families want to see is kids playing safely."If you keep to yourself, you'll do okay. Go out here looking for trouble, it will find you,” said Indira Branford.Branford has lived in East Harlem's Johnson houses for 23 years. Like others, she's noticed it's safer recently."It's less cliques of people hanging around outside with its safer coming home definitely,” said Branford.Across the street at Taft Houses, inside the People's Barber Shop."It was crazy when we first got here,” said barber Chris Johnson.Workers watch what goes on outside."Everything is good now,” said Johnson.A couple blocks down at Lehman Houses it's much the same story and the Manhattan District Attorney says that's because the people in the photos above are off the street and in prison.He says they are members of three gangs, more than 60 in total, who will spend between two and 25 years locked up for crimes ranging from attempted murder to conspiracy."I was concerned about violence between gang members that we saw spiking in various neighbor s around gang activity and I’m also concerned about gun activity,” said District Attorney Cy Vance.Vance says the gang roundup in April 2013 netted more than a dozen guns, and built cases by using data to point police at specific offenders. According to Vance, there has been a 76 percent reduction in overall shootings in East Harlem since the bust.“What we're doing I believe is working,” said Vance.Vance calls it intelligence driven prosecution. It's similar to COMSTAT started under Police Commissioner Bill Bratton in the 90's.“It's been around of over a decade but in terms of other agencies like prosecutor’s office it's relatively new it really is,” said criminal justice expert Maki Haberfeld.Haberfeld says Vance's method is a good way of working with limited resources, but cautions sometimes criminals notice the change and move.“Some people just engage in the life of crime no matter what,” said Haberfeld.

A member of the Bloods street gang, who began using the street name "Gotti" after being exonerated at state trials for attempted murder and murder was sentenced Monday in federal court to 15 years and 10 months on racketeering charges, officials said.

The racketeering charges stemmed from crimes Carl Perryman committed to enhance his position in the gang, said Eastern District federal prosecutors James Miskiewicz and Grace Cucchissi. Perryman, of Rockville Centre, pleaded guilty in August to assault with a dangerous weapon, the shooting of a person he suspected of being an informant, and the shooting of a person he suspected of being a member of the rival Crips gang. Both victims survived their wounds, court papers said.

The suspected member of the rival Crips was identified as Kelly Baldwin, who was shot after he did what was described as a "Crips dance" to taunt members of the Bloods in March 2011 by the Old Mill Court housing complex in Rockville Centre, according to court papers.

The suspected informant was identified in court papers as John Bush, who was shot by Perryman on July 2009, also near the Old Mill Court complex, according to the papers.

Perryman's attorney, Matthew Brissenden, of Garden City, said his client apologized to both victims before he was sentenced Monday in Central Islip by U.S. District Judge Arthur Spatt. Prosecutors Miskiewicz and Cucchissi declined to comment.

Perryman was acquitted in Nassau County Court in 2010 for the Bush shooting, court papers said. In a separate case, he was acquitted in 2009 in Nassau County Court of murdering a man identified as David Baez.

Two witnesses to the Baez killing, who initially tied him to that crime, recanted and testified for Perryman, according to the court papers. Those witnesses were subsequently convicted of perjury and sentenced to jail, the papers said. A third witness did not appear for trial because she had been intimidated by Perryman, the papers said.

TROY - A person is stabbed not long after authorities announce new efforts to combat growing crime in the city.

The Thursday stabbing happened just down the road from last weekend's shooting that injured five people.

Not only that, it happened an hour after police and the mayor tried to send a message that this type of violence will not be tolerated.

Fourth Street here was the scene of the shooting over the weekend -- it was also the backdrop for city officials and police this morning -- calling for an end to the violence.

“These actions will not be tolerated and we will do everything in our power to end this apparent pattern of violence,” said Troy Mayor Lou Rosamilia.

About an hour after Rosamilia said those words, police received a call for a stabbing on River Street. The victim, a 25 year-old male, went to St. Mary’s Hospital.

“That victim right now is being less than cooperative. They were treated there and then transferred to Albany Med with pretty serious injuries,” said Troy Police Captain Daniel DeWolf.

Police say there's no suspect yet. However, it's that kind of violence they feel has been on the rise. Just over the weekend, five people were shot on Fourth Street when a gunman opened fire into a crowd in front of Gino's Pizza. Investigators say two of the victims were targeted in a feud between rival gangs in Albany and Troy, but the other three were innocent bystanders.

“When you have the shooting of innocent bystanders, there are some precautions that have to be taken,” said Troy Police Chief John Tedesco.

As part of the precautions, Tedesco and the Rosamilia say more police officers will be patrolling the streets -- especially the area of Fourth Street which is always filled with people on the weekends between midnight and 4 a.m. That's when the bars close. Police are also planning on being more aggressive in their search for those criminals.

“If you come here and you engage in the activities like last week, you're not simply going to walk away,” warned Tedesco.